CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell sent a letter on Thursday to the Trump administration asking for exemptions for oats and other ingredients from proposed tariffs.
In the letter, O’Donnell said the U.S. simply does not produce enough oats to meet the needs of major producers in the Cedar Rapids.
Quaker Oats and General Mills facilities rely on high-quality oats, which O’Donnell says is mostly imported from Canada. Both companies import more than 90 percent of their oats from Canada.
“Even in Iowa, where our farmland and soil are among the most profitable and fertile in the world, our weather does not support large-scale oat production,” O’Donnell said.
The mayor laid out the importance of cereal manufacturing jobs to the local economy, saying the industry employs nearly 2,000 people and contributes at least $1.8 billion to the local economy.
“Restrictions on imports would harm local jobs and manufacturers, putting billions of dollars in economic activity at risk,” O’Donnell said. “To protect Cedar Rapids’ economy and American manufacturing jobs, we need a steady supply of these food ingredients.”
O’Donnell sent the letter to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and Senator Chuck Grassley.
“Disrupting this supply chain would jeopardize thousands of high-quality jobs in our community and destabilize the broader U.S. food industry, driving up food prices for American families,” O’Donnell added.
President Trump has placed separate tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. The 25 percent tariffs impact steel and aluminum imports. On Wednesday, Canada said it will place 25 percent, reciprocal tariffs on steel products.
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